


The Start of Something New

by SEpupppupp (ForNought)



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: First Kiss, First Meeting, Karaoke, M/M, New Year's Eve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-20 14:43:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13148838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForNought/pseuds/SEpupppupp
Summary: Daniel would much rather stay home on NYE yet he is forced into going to a party and even worse he is forced to do karaoke too!#6: Daniel meets Jisung at a new year eve karaoke party, just like that scene on High School Musical 1, where they are randomly chosen to sing a song together and them fall for each other.





	The Start of Something New

Daniel doesn't hate parties but every time someone mentions New Year's Eve Daniel changes the subject. He distracts Woojin and Jihoon with offers to exchange their Christmas gifts for something better, he reminds Jinwoo about the time he swore off drinking for good, and he grasps at literally anything to get people to stop talking about it. His avoidance had worked well until now. He even tricked Seongwoo staying in to watch movies and eat pizza for the evening.

Everything is fine until someone hammers at their front door. Seongwoo jolts and pouts at Daniel.

“I think someone is trying to break in.”

If someone was trying to break in, Daniel hopes they would be more subtle than banging on the door and yelling, “Kang Daniel, I know you’re in there! You will regret it if you’re not out here looking the hottest anyone has ever seen you in five minutes!”

“Daniel, do something,” Seongwoo implores from the other end of the sofa. “I don’t want to get robbed.”

“We’re not getting robbed,” Daniel says. Seongwoo only widens his eyes and pulls his blanket more tightly around himself.

“Daniel!”

There is absolutely no need for Seongwoo to act like this but Daniel has come to expect it. He kicks Seongwoo’s foot as he passes and slowly makes his way to the relentless hammering on the door. He opens to door to Lee Hyebin staring sternly up at him.

She inhales deeply. “Kang Daniel, this is _not_ the hottest anyone has ever seen you!”

Daniel looks down at himself. He can’t disagree too much because he is wearing a flannel shirt over his fluffy cat-print pyjamas, but he still feels the need to defend himself. Ordinarily he can’t think of any positives to living next door to a classmate from high school, and right now is no exception, but this is the closest to a good thing that has happened all year.

“You’ve seen me look much worse, Hyebin.”

Hyebin sniffs and she doesn’t look pleased with the defence.

“You’re less of a mess these days. You don’t have an excuse to answer the door looking like that.” Hyebin pushes past Daniel into the flat and greets Seongwoo curtly as she makes straight for Daniel’s bedroom. “You need something sexy. Something tight. You need to reel someone in.”

“Isn’t being comfortable more important?” Daniel asks. He knows what Hyebin is getting at as she scoops Rooney into her arms and yanks open the wardrobe. She casts a dour glare over her shoulder and employs Rooney’s mewls as opinions on what clothes she should rip out of the wardrobe and toss onto the bed.

Seongwoo presses himself against Daniel’s back and watches Hyebin interestedly. Peter joins in, winding her way around their ankles as all of Daniel’s clothes go flying.

“What is she doing in my home? Are you going to let her disturb the sanctity of pizza and beer by making a mess for no reason?”

“What do you want me to do?” Daniel asks.

“Get rid of her. Obviously,” Seongwoo says, rolling his eyes.

Hyebin points at Seongwoo using Rooney’s paw. “You are not exempt from this. Daniel needs a wingman who will reel someone in with his sexiness but ultimately put them off with his terrible personality. You’re perfect.”

“How dare you say such things about me, impudent strumpet!” Seongwoo cries, shoving away from Daniel with grandiose gestures. He winks when he hears Daniel snickering.

Hyebin has always been brilliant at glaring. She tries hard to smile a lot but it is times like this - when she doesn’t have to look good and kind to her younger friends who listen to every word she says - that Daniel can appreciate the intensity of her withering expressions.

“I call you sexy and you call me a whore. Nice, you’re a classy guy.”

Seongwoo shrivels in seconds. “Daniel!”

“I need a drink,” Daniel says.

“Bingo!” Hyebin says. She tucks her hair behind her ears and smiles as she cuddles Rooney closer to her chest. “I will buy you a drink tonight if you come out.”

 

*

 

Hyebin, Daniel learns after unsexily squeezing himself into the outfit she picked out for him (it isn’t very imaginative as it is just a navy shirt and dark jeans but Hyebin takes a great amount of pride in highlighting the silver glittery belt she found. Daniel doesn’t remember owning something like that but it is the ‘point’ of the outfit and will apparently get him laid. Seongwoo admittedly looks good in anything and Daniel is jealous that Seongwoo only had to try on one outfit before Hyebin was happy) that Hyebin is kind of a liar.

The first drinks are free with guestlist entry and Hyebin shamelessly passes Daniel and Seongwoo the free drinks.

“There are your drinks, boys. Cheers!” Hyebin says happily. Seongwoo’s mood has perked up and he hasn’t even had his first sip. He pulls Hyebin into his arms happily and tells her he loves her before plucking her drink out of her hands and downing the vodka lemonade.

Daniel drags Seongwoo away before Hyebin acts on the murderous intent in her eyes and he walks straight into a person. Jihoon turns to look at him and his face breaks out into a smirk.

“I knew you’d come, you whore.”

Woojin is standing stiffly beside Jihoon and stares into his drink bitterly. “I have heard those words far too recently to be happy about hearing them now.”

Jihoon elbows Woojin and looks back up at Daniel. “What changed your mind?”

“I didn’t change my mind, I was kidnapped,” Daniel says very seriously. Seongwoo steals his drink and downs that too before cheering for himself. Alone. Daniel only laughs a little bit. Jihoon punches his arm.

“Don’t encourage him.”

“Too late, I am encouraged,” Seongwoo shouts. “I’d like to make an appointment with your mouth at midnight tonight.”

Jihoon is obviously about to say something awful. Daniel only knows this because Jihoon’s eyes land on Hyebin and he becomes tongue-tied as he softens his expression as he stops himself from saying the awful thing. It is disappointing to see Jihoon like this. Daniel makes a note to ask Jihoon to stop being so fake whenever women are around.

Jihoon dips his chin and glances up at Seongwoo through his eyelashes. “Wow. Do you really want to kiss me? You could have anyone.”

Woojin snorts into his drink and Jihoon, a slave to his polite facade, resists the urge to elbow him in the ribs. Seongwoo collapses onto Jihoon and this is already too much like last year. Daniel looks around, expecting Kim Donghan to make an appearance and sweep Jihoon off his feet again (and leave Seongwoo with a frown on his face for the rest of the night). Donghan doesn’t appear, thank goodness, but similarly to last year Kim Chungha does appear.

Last year Daniel had spent most of the night talking to Chungha and falling for her more quickly than if he had been sober. They held hands for the countdown and the kiss to greet the start of the year became a deeper kiss that had Daniel wondering how much he could ask for. It turned out that Daniel couldn’t ask for very much at all as Chungha spent the start of the new year with her head in a toilet as she heaved up what sounded like several gallons of alcohol.

Apparently Chungha had forgotten all about Daniel. As she smiles at him now, Daniel certainly believes it.

Daniel laughs nervously. Chungha asks how he is and willingly gives her drink up to Seongwoo.

She looks good and she tells Daniel the same. And then Sejeong arrives, loud and brash as she throws her arms around Chungha’s shoulders and greets everyone chicly.

“You arrived just in time,” Sejeong announces. “Couples’ karaoke is starting imminently.”

“What if you’re not part of a couple?” Hyebin asks.

Sejeong shrugs. “I don’t know. Grab anyone, I guess. I don’t have that problem though, do I?”

Chungha laughs, an elegant sound that creates a soft harmony with Sejeong’s rough cackle.

When a woman in an evening gown and night-dark hair tumbling over one bare shoulder takes to the stage, Sejeong bolts. She rugby tackles multiple people on her way to the stage. Daniel can’t help but notice that she has left Chungha behind.

“Are you not going to sing with her?” Daniel asks. In the distance Sejeong grabs a girl around the neck and hauls her onto the stage. Chungha smiles softly up at Daniel and her eyes sparkle.

“I might sing with her later. She should have fun first.”

Daniel laughs - at the fondness in Chungha’s voice and the crinkle of her eyes as she turns to look at Sejeong on stage, squabbling with the girl she dragged up there - but he isn’t confident that Chungha just said something good.

“Wouldn’t it be more fun for her to sing with you?”

Chungha smiles. “She says she has a surprise for me.”

The lights dim and Woojin deposits Seongwoo into Daniel’s chest with a disgruntled expression. He misses what Woojin says to him because at that moment the MC announces Sejeong and Yeonjung’s performance.

The song is nice and soft to begin with. It is a song everyone knows and the room sways. And then Sejeong sings. Her voice is light and airy as she starts Western Sky, and Yeonjung joins her, a whisper of sorrow until the song explodes at the chorus. As Sejeong and Yeonjung belt Daniel looks down at Chungha, pulling Seongwoo tighter against his chest so that he isn’t too much of an obstruction. Her eyes shine with admiration and something else that Daniel is too sober to let himself think about.

“This is so beautiful!” Seongwoo tells Daniel’s neck. “I am so in love right now.”

If Seongwoo was sober he would be able to say something funny and then Daniel wouldn’t feel so weird. He shouldn’t even be feeling down about this because he and Chungha only kissed, once, a year ago and now she has a girlfriend. And Daniel is still single.

Sejeong returns from the stage to rapturous applause. Nobody else is drunk enough to think that if they follow the performance they would be received as well. Sejeong pulls Chungha into a hug and kisses her lightly on the mouth.

Seongwoo squints at her. “I love you. Can you marry me? Can you be Jihoon and marry me?”

Sejeong slaps her thigh and laughs out loud. “Why don’t you just ask Jihoon?”

“Do you think Jihoon would marry me? He is so scary. But I think I love him.”

Woojin gives Seongwoo a sidelong glance before looking up at Daniel. “Can you sort him out?”

Daniel, because he is a good friend, takes Seongwoo over to the bar and orders a glass of water. He slides the water over and Seongwoo looks at it dumbly before Daniel gives up and pours the water into his mouth. The water sloshes down Seongwoo’s front and he complains as Daniel tips more water into his mouth.

While dealing with his now infantile friend, Daniel is vaguely aware of the call for volunteers to sing karaoke. He turns back to the stage when the first notes of edm-trot fusion start to play and he sees Hyebin’s noticeable purple bob amongst the gaggle of girls on stage.

Daniel can’t help but laugh. They even have a whole routine that Daniel would be following along with if he didn’t have to make Seongwoo drink water to sober up. The girls hop across the stage and twist with such enthusiasm that Daniel thinks they will win. He assumes this is a competition but he can’t be certain. The song is repetitive and catchy too so even if Daniel isn’t too confident at singing trot he hums along to the lyrics of “ring, ring, I’m your guy.”

When the song finishes Daniel cheers and waves at Hyebin as she leaves the stage.

“That was really funny,” Daniel says. Seongwoo glares back at him. “What’s the matter?”

“Why did you pour all that water on me? It looks like I peed!”

“You pee from your chest?”

Seongwoo’s expression darkens. “I really hate you,” he says without slurring at all. He shakes his head and looks away from Daniel. “I need to dry off and maybe throw up before someone sees.”

When Seongwoo walks away he leaves a blinding white light in his wake. Daniel blinks and squints against the brightness but when it doesn’t fade into the regular flashes of atmospheric club lighting he realises a spotlight is pointed at him. The woman from before, an elegant smile on her lips that Daniel can see even from this distance, beckons him over and she speaks into the microphone.

“Come on up for your turn at karaoke.”

Daniel’s protests are ignored as he is nudged towards the stage. He almost wishes that Seongwoo was still here but then he reconsiders. Seongwoo would have done his best to catapult Daniel onto the stage so he supposes there is less chance of injury if he walks up himself. Daniel isn’t the only unwilling victim. Another man is being shoved onto stage by three others who jeer at him as he pulls faces and turns around to search for his escape route.

Microphones are shoved into their hands and the woman laughs at Daniel’s undoubtedly dumb expression.

“You know some day,” the woman laughs as she looks between Daniel and the other man. “Some day, you guys are going to thank me for this. Or not.”

She leaves the stage and the music plays. Daniel didn’t even have a choice in the song which doesn't exactly help his confidence in standing onstage in front of all of these strangers and (worse than strangers) his friends and acquaintances.

The opening bars that play make Daniel nostalgic for the early summer despite the chill outside from the deepening winter. Daniel realises he hasn’t even had a drink yet and Seongwoo is probably vomiting away Daniel’s complimentary drink right now. Daniel looks askance at the other man who is frowning down at the microphone in his hands. He flinches when the audience sing along loudly.

The united voice of “Really, really, really, really” is thunderous and the night is crackling with the mounting excitement for a fresh year. Daniel doesn’t sing. He hums to the radio and he sings in the shower and he can just about summon it in himself to sing Happy Birthday at parties. He doesn’t perform for an audience even if it is just karaoke in front of dozens of people steadily clamouring towards inebriation. Daniel doesn’t sing, but the song is about to start and the other man is showing no signs of parting his lips. He stares down at the microphone and Daniel even thinks his hands are trembling.

So Daniel sings. He doesn’t quite get the key right because it is higher than he expects but under the circumstances he can’t be too ashamed when he sings, “Where are you? Are you home?”

It is easier if Daniel keeps his eyes on the screen and follows on the lyrics there even though he knows them well enough. He is still nervous and he barely manages to keep the uncomfortable giggle out of his voice and the words tremor out of him. It is a love song and maybe he would be more equipped to sing it if Chungha wasn’t somewhere in the room being unattainably happy with someone else. Instead Daniel is hoping that the other man lifts his head and lets out his voice so that the situation gets a bit less pathetic.

When Daniel gets to the end of his verse, (I won’t say anything weird, no pressure) he considers giving up. He doesn’t sing and he doesn’t even want to be here and he isn’t anywhere near drunk enough to keep this up.

“Right now the most beautiful thing in my eyes is you.” The voice is gentle as it coaxes Daniel back to the centre of the stage. It is so stable that Daniel doesn’t believe that it could have come from the man with trembling hands but when he turns to look he is met with a honeyed gaze. Daniel should have kept a closer eye to take notice of more than just the discomfort because with one smile (eyes narrowed softly and cheeks bunched unmistakably high) this man has dumbfounded Daniel.

Just like last year it has only taken one look and Daniel thinks he probably falls too easily but it doesn’t feel like a lie when just in time he says, “I like you.”

Daniel is sure the audience is singing along to the chorus with them, just as they had as the song started, but it is all indistinct over the rushing that pulses in his ears and he is just about able to ask this man to trust his heart (Daniel is something of a hopeless romantic, and maybe he is weak in this respect, but he feels so sure of this moment where he received a smile and he is already slipping) and he must be embarrassing himself by asking this man to accept his heart (he needs to give something in response to the smile that softened his senses to the point of intoxication, even if this isn’t a dream he feels as indestructible as though he is in one but all he has to give is his heart).

The answer doesn’t come immediately and the other man keeps his mouth shut as the rap verses start and he gestures for Daniel to continue. He is a few beats off so it takes him a moment to catch up but he manages to get on beat when suggesting they pick petnames. Daniel doesn't even know this man’s name but he thinks he would like to call him Honey or Darling or Baby and he hopes the wrinkle of the man’s nose as he smiles means that he wouldn’t mind hearing it.

Daniel stumbles over a few of the lyrics but the man just smiles, Baby just smiles warmly and nods along as he clutches the microphone in his hands. And when he sings the bridge again all Daniel can do is stare at him, awed. His voice is so clear that Daniel can’t help but believe that he is the most beautiful thing in sight and the feelings the man have for him number over thousands of millions.

It is oh so easy for Daniel to smile along and agree to accept the man’s heart. So when the song ends with Daniel hardly able to breathe through his nervous chuckles as the man sings “I like you” to him.

The song ends and the man smiles at Daniel and even pats him on the back as the woman returns to take the microphones off them and Daniel grins widely and hopes he appeals to the other man as they step down from the stage.

He smiles at Daniel when they reach the bottom of the steps and he looks like he is about to rejoin his friends and never again spare another thought for this vague embarrassment. Daniel doesn’t much like the thought of that when they had sung so well together. But then the man twists back towards Daniel and perhaps they are standing too close together and the man drops his gaze for a moment before he makes the space disappear from between them.

“I’m Jisung.”

“Daniel.”

Jisung smiles and the expression is just as sweet as the words he had just sung to Daniel.

“You have an amazing voice. You’re a singer, right?” Daniel asks. It is a better question than asking whether any of this meant anything. Daniel is sure he wasn’t imagining the feeling of completeness as their gazes met and the words were for him but he has only just learnt Jisung’s name and it seems prudent to be conservative about this.

Jisung smiles shyly and shakes his head. “Just church choir. I once tried out for a solo and nearly fainted.”

With a voice like that Daniel doesn’t think Jisung should be downplaying his ability so much but after the performance moments ago Daniel wonders whether Jisung has a habit of removing himself from the spotlight, like he has a reason to keep his skill a secret.

“You fainted? Why?” Daniel asked.

Jisung looks away, abashed, and says, “I took one look at all the people staring at me and next thing I knew I was staring at the ceiling. End of solo career.”

Daniel chuckles. “Well, with the way you sang tonight that’s kind of hard to believe.” He wonders whether he has given this enough time, whether Jisung is smiling enough and thinks Daniel might look good enough through beer goggles, and throws caution to the wind. “There are lots of people who might be looking at you now. Maybe we should go somewhere quieter to talk and I can catch you if you faint again.”

Jisung laughs and slaps Daniel’s arm, but a moment later he closes his fingers around Daniel’s wrist and leads him past a group who Jisung seems to wave off as they call out to him. They end up outside on a small patio lit with fairy lights strewn over dozens of miniature pine trees which fill the enclosed space with an almost bitter fragrance. Not that Daniel is paying too much attention to the plants when Jisung is casting furtive glances at him as they stand at a table littered with novelty ‘Happy New Year’ spectacles. Fluffy white flakes are drifting down from the sky and Daniel wishes he had a jacket to give to Jisung. As he has nothing he stands a little closer and delights in the baffled sound Jisung makes.

But then Daniel hears the music start up again inside and he can’t quash the disappointment in his chest. He loves Signal. He could totally have done a better job at trying to let Jisung know that he is sending signs and signals. But maybe things are better like this having sung a song more blatantly exposed about affection rather than singing a song about the struggles of getting noticed. Daniel is an optimist. He likes to think Jisung has noticed him. He looks back at the man beside him and tilts his head at the wry smile he sees on his face.

“Do you want to go back inside?”

Daniel shakes his head quickly and dances along to the electric part of the song and drops his hands. “I just really like that song. The one we did was good too. I think any song you sing would be good.”

Jisung laughs. “It was fun.”

“It really was! Is it fun enough that you won’t faint?” Daniel asks.

“Do you want me to?” Jisung asks. Daniel laughs and he thinks he wouldn’t mind if Jisung did. He would be here to catch him and fetch him water and help him get air and maybe kiss Jisung better. Daniel doesn’t know much about first aid but he hopes a scenario like this would involve kissing and falling in love.

“I said I would catch you, didn't I?” Daniel says.

“You'll catch me, Mr Singer?” Jisung asks. Daniel raises his eyebrows and Jisung says. “You sound like you have done a lot of singing too.”

Daniel shrugs. “My shower head is a big fan,” he says with a self-deprecating giggle.

“You're good. really,” Jisung says. “Maybe we should do it again some time.”

Daniel doesn't sing but he would like that very much so he nods along anyway but suddenly there is noise all around them and people are counting down. The new year is coming too quickly and Daniel hardly knows anything about Jisung and there isn't enough time for them to learn anymore amidst the din of counting.

Daniel doesn't know what to do. Jisung is awkwardly looking around and avoiding Daniel's gaze and their time is almost over. Daniel needs more time before the spell breaks and he can't be with Jisung like this any longer. They had three minutes and twenty-six seconds together but it was nowhere near enough and now fireworks.

The lights from the technicoloured explosions are loud and the crackles of bright embers falling set the backdrop to Daniel looking down at Jisung and wondering what this is. Should they kiss? Daniel wants to. They might be strangers but this feels a lot like love at first sight, different to last year because Daniel hasn't even had one drink yet and he is more desperate not to be forgotten come the second day of the year.

Jisung looks away.

“I should find my friends to wish them a happy new year.”

“Yeah,” Daniel agrees even though he is still hoping for something closer for the offer to spend eternity together. “I should too. Oh, I don't mean your friends. I hope they have a happy new year too but my friends will complain if I don't find them too.”

Jisung smiles softly. “It was nice meeting you.”

Jisung takes a step back and Daniel grabs his wrist while he can. Jisung frowns and Daniel's mouth feels dry so he can barely say, “I'll call you. Can I?”

Jisung's eyes widen and he tilts his head curiously. “Really?”. Daniel fishes his phone from his pocket and shoves it into Jisung’s chest and he gratefully accepts Jisung's phone a second later.

The selfie Daniel takes isn't his best. It is blurry and he looks a bit frantic but he saves it under the assumption that very soon Jisung will let him take an improved contact photo. He isn't sure that saving himself as just his name is sufficient but if Jisung ever asks Daniel thinks he could probably blame leftover adrenaline from the karaoke performance on calling himself “Daniel Who Likes You”.

Jisung looks a bit sheepish as they swap their phones back and Daniel doesn't let him leave right away. In his contact photo, Jisung wears a bright smile that is nothing like the coy expression he is wearing now but it is the contact name that has Daniel convinced that they are soulmates. Daniel doesn't think he could be happier to have the number of “Jisung Who Has Accepted Your Heart” in his phone.

Daniel laughs and Jisung laughs along when he looks to see what Daniel saved himself as.

“I will call you really soon,” Daniel promises.

Jisung grins and leans in closer to press his lips just underneath Daniel’s eye. He stands back and he looks flushed but he maintains eye contact with Daniel as he says, “Happy new year.”

“Happy new year,” Daniel says quietly.

A moment after Jisung leaves Daniel supposes he should find Seongwoo to make sure he isn’t having some sort of medical emergency. He is clumsy enough without guzzling down Daniel’s share of drinks so Daniel decides he should pretend to be responsible.

The first place Daniel looks is the toilets. The second he opens the door he is ambushed and dragged into a cubicle. Thankfully Daniel isn’t being kidnapped on the best night of his life. It is only Seongwoo who is scrutinising him with bleary red eyes and pouting pathetically.

Daniel doesn’t like the look of this. “How are you even more drunk now?”

“Some bitch who claims to be my best friend _abandoned me_. I was very vulnerable so I found solace in the drinks people bought for me when they saw how handsome and sad I was.” Seongwoo sniffs and leans closer to peer at Daniel. It is unlikely that he can see any better. “Why did you abandon me? I was very scared and alone.”

“I was forced to do karaoke and then I fell in love,” Daniel explains. He does hear how ridiculous it sounds as the words come out of his mouth but he hardly thinks that is grounds for Seongwoo to roll his eyes.

“That is the worst excuse I have ever heard,” Seongwoo says as he leans back against the cubicle door. “And for your own good I think you should forget about this person you claim to love. It will never work. Remember what happened last year?”

Daniel would rather not remember what happened last year so he shoves his phone in Seongwoo’s face to show off the man he has definitely for real absolutely certainly fallen in love with.

“This looks like one of those photos they use on the news for a missing person,” Seongwoo notes. “He forced you to fall in love with him?”

Daniel wasn’t forced as such but he can’t deny how in love he is in this moment. He is deep enough in love to take exception to the comment about Jisung’s picture looking like a missing person’s photo. He doesn’t even know what that means so he hold his phone to his chest defensively before snapping a picture of Seongwoo looking gormless.

“I know what picture I will send to the news if you don’t make it home tonight,” Daniel says before he tickles Seongwoo into submission and escapes from the club toilets.

It is fine with Daniel if Seongwoo isn’t impressed because Seongwoo is a drunken philistine anyway. He doesn’t want to take the risk with Hyebin being just as awful and drunk as Seongwoo so he decides to go home. Or just out of the club in general. Daniel bobs his head along to the people curious about a strawberry flavour that melts with each bite before he emerges outside under heavier snowfall.

It is snowing and by the time people wake up in the morning the snow will be thick enough for a fresh start with the fresh year. Daniel has his phone in his hand and elation in his heart and he is really really sure he is in love. So he calls Jisung and hopes he is somewhere quiet enough to take the call.

The phone rings a few times and Daniel is filled with relief when Jisung answers.

“Hello?” Jisung says sounding uncertain.

“Hello, Jisung Who Has Accepted My Heart? This is Daniel Who Likes You.”

Jisung laughs softly. “Are we still doing this?”

Daniel laughs too but he hopes they are doing whatever ‘this’ is. He borrows a few words from the song earlier. “Where are you. I wanna tell you something.”

Daniel knows that he is being silly and cheesy but he isn’t sure what Jisung means when he says, “I’ve got a crush on you. Look at me.”

“What?” Daniel asks. He likes the sound of Jisung having a crush on him but he doesn’t see how he can look at Jisung. But Jisung laughs.

“Behind you.”

Daniel turns around and sees Jisung leaning against the wall to the club. Daniel is glad he hadn’t gone further before making his call. He thinks that maybe he was right about Jisung being his soulmate but it might be a bit early to say so sober.

“Do you have any plans right now?” Daniel asks as he approaches. Jisung hangs up smiles brightly like the picture on Daniel’s phone.

“It’s the middle of the night,” Jisung says. “Would it be normal to have plans right now?”

It could be normal to have plans right now. It feels normal for Daniel to want to make plans with Jisung right now and every night in future. So he says, “I want to have plans right now. I didn’t when my friends dragged me out of the house but I want to have plans now. With you.”

Jisung nods, looking pensive. “We could plan to get food.”

“I like food,” Daniel says.

“Good,” Jisung says.

“I like you too,” Daniel says.

Jisung nods and smiles. “I like you too, Daniel Who Likes Me. Maybe you could become Daniel Who Kisses Me.”

It doesn’t take a second for Daniel to make an attempt. But he gets stuck around the part where he has a hand cupping Jisung’s jaw and they’re so close and it certainly feels like something. But instead of becoming Daniel Who Kisses Jisung he becomes Daniel Who Is Kissed By Jisung and Jisung’s lips are cool enough for Daniel to wonder how long he has been outside for but Daniel thinks he wastes the opportunity by pondering that because Jisung pulls away far too soon.

But when Jisung (Who Has Accepted Daniel’s Heart) smiles, Daniel (Who Is Kissed By Jisung) cannot help but smile back.

“That was good,” Jisung says.

Daniel agrees. “Maybe we should do it again sometime.”

Jisung laughs. “Before that we have plans for food. I know a place.” He holds his hand out between them and says, “Hold my hand so my heart doesn’t miss you.”

And Daniel likes food and he likes sort of making plans at quarter to one on the first day of the year and he likes kissing Jisung and he likes the sound of Jisung’s heart missing him and he likes the feel of Jisung’s cool hand in his own.


End file.
